


The Closing Ceremony

by flailinginlove



Series: The Speedo Verse [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Festivals, KakaIru Fest Summer 2020, M/M, diver!Iruka, meet awkward, runner!Kakashi, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26056573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flailinginlove/pseuds/flailinginlove
Summary: Iruka appreciates Kakashi's athletic abilities, and his friends will never let him forget it.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Series: The Speedo Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891444
Comments: 58
Kudos: 299
Collections: Nine Weeks of Summer 2020





	The Closing Ceremony

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CrazyLabRat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyLabRat/gifts), [Specs2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Specs2/gifts), [bbo (bbeko)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbeko/gifts), [pixieprinceling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixieprinceling/gifts).
  * Translation into Русский available: [Церемония закрытия](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28129296) by [stary_melnik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stary_melnik/pseuds/stary_melnik)



> Part of my verse for [KakaIru Fest's Nine Weeks of Summer](https://kakairu-fest.tumblr.com/post/619314651469168640/we-are-excited-to-announce-our-summer-round).
> 
> I may be stretching the prompt a little here, but closing ceremonies are just festivals, right? 
> 
> For CrazyLabRat, Specs2, bbo, and pixieprinceling who all said they'd like to see more in this verse. ♥
> 
> Also, for context, there is a Japanese magazine called An-An that occasionally does issues focused on sex or fitness with spreads featuring celebrities and athletes like [this](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3cc18a6e4632bc6b627b45ef46d9502e/1b1bf0a4d44d4360-27/s1280x1920/7a19423164514397d1ed3d3da79dcc4be715933a.jpg) (or riskier). Last year one of the doujinshi circles released a parody of it called Nin-nin.
> 
> Russian translation available [here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/10193158) and [here](https://fanfics.me/fic156140). Thank you to stary_melnik for translating it! ♥

"Fuck, look at his calves," Iruka said under his breath, but not inaudibly enough.

"And his arms," Kotetsu said.

"And his thighs," Izumo added.

"And his-"

" _Shhh_ ," Iruka said, slapping Kotetsu on the arm to get him to shut up. "The race is about to start."

He'd been thrilled when he'd realized that as long as he hurried back to the locker room after his event, he'd be able to watch Hatake Kakashi's final race of the Games live. He wasn't going to miss this just because his friends would win gold if teasing him about said runner were to be made into a Five Nations Games sport.

"But what about his-" Izumo started.

Iruka pushed him off the locker room bench.

~*~*~

Iruka couldn't breathe until Kakashi crossed the finish line, even if he was well ahead of the second-place runner the entire way there.

He jumped up from the bench and pumped his fist in the air, eyes still fixed on his phone. "BEST RACE EVER!"

"Iruka," Kotetsu said, "you won a gold medal less than an hour ago. How are you more excited about his?"

"They were so close to beating the world record! Did you see how fast Kakashi was?"

"Yes, yes," Izumo said, sighing. "With his thighs."

"And his calves," Kotetsu added.

"And his arms."

"And his abs."

"Oh, yes. Can't forget his abs."

"Which he doesn't show off nearly enough."

"Criminal, really, that runners wear shirts."

"Let's petition the 5NG Committee about making all track and field athletes wear speedos."

Iruka glared at his friends. " _One time_. I mentioned that _one time_. And all I said was that they might run faster if they had less wind resistance from their clothing."

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged looks. " _Wind resistance_ ," they said in unison. Iruka could _hear_ the air quotes.

"Oh, shut up. I just appreciate his athletic abilities. That's all."

"Mm-hm."

"Sure you do."

"He set the world record for the 200-meter dash this year!"

"And you are one of three people in the world that can do a reverse four and a half somersault in the pike position."

Iruka shook his head. "That's entirely different!"

Kotetsu grabbed Iruka's phone out of his hands as Izumo pushed him towards the showers. "Go get cleaned up and changed. We're starving."

Iruka let himself be pushed. There would always be time to watch Kakashi's medal ceremony later. And for more teasing from his friends. 

He couldn't help it if he gushed about Kakashi from time to time. The man was a Five Nations legend. And he might have been Iruka's first ever crush, starting the moment a 12-year-old Iruka watched a 16-year-old Kakashi win his first gold on live TV. And sure, Kakashi might be the reason Iruka pushed himself as hard as he did. And now eight years later, they were both at the Five Nations Games. The chances of them meeting were next to nil, but that was okay. Iruka could enjoy the fact they were both there. That was enough.

His friends thought Iruka was in awe of Kakashi, but that wasn't it. Sure, he'd _seemed_ cool during those first races Iruka had watched, and no one could deny how talented he was. But it had been all the post-race interviews that had done Iruka in when he was a little older and better able to appreciate the fact that off the track, Kakashi was the biggest dork Iruka had ever seen, no matter how cool other people thought he was.

And yeah, he might have a few copies of that Nin-Nin body issue Kakashi and his teammates had done three years back. Or more than a few. Not that he would admit that to anyone. What bet Kakashi had lost or how he had been convinced to do a nearly naked shoot, Iruka had no idea, but he thanked whatever gods had made it happen. Repeatedly.

~*~*~

Packing up his room the next day was greatly complicated by his need to binge-watch all the videos he could find about Kakashi from these Games.

Izumo and Kotetsu were less than impressed with his viewing choices, but he'd been too busy preparing for his own event and hadn't been able to watch any of Kakashi's except his final race. He had a _backlog_.

"For the record, we will drag you out of this hotel room if needed," Kotetsu finally said. "We aren't missing the closing ceremony because you can't tear your eyes away from a certain someone's _athletic abilities_."

Iruka had no idea what Kotetsu was talking about. Kakashi wasn't running in this clip. It was an interview, and he was wearing one of his overly baggy tracksuits.

With a sigh, Iruka exited the playlist on his phone. While he wasn't thrilled at the prospect of such a massive crowd, he knew he couldn't miss the closing ceremony of his first Games. Staying in his hotel room to finish watching his backlog of clips would be lame even by his standards.

"Who knows," Izumo said. "You might run into him there."

Iruka scoffed. He'd lost track of the number of times they'd tried to pull the "Oh my god, is that Hatake Kakashi over there?" trick on him during the opening ceremony. Besides, Kakashi was notorious for showing up to opening and closing ceremonies excessively late, if he even showed up at all. 

Iruka would not be falling for that again.

~*~*~

"Oh my god, is that Hatake Kakashi over there?"

Iruka glared at his friends. The closing ceremony hadn't even started; they were still waiting to march onto the field. There was no way Kakashi was there yet.

"Holy shit. Is he coming this way?"

"Yeah right, guys. Whatever you say."

"No," Izumo said under his breath, "he is seriously walking this way."

"Uh-huh, I'm sure. _The_ Hatake Kakashi, track star extraordinaire, current world record holder for the 200-meter dash, possessor of the nicest set of legs known to mankind, man most likely to appear nightly in my dreams, etcetera, etcetera, is standing right behind me at this very moment. Absolutely. I'm definitely going to believe that. Especially after the dozen times he was 'standing right behind me' during the opening ceremony."

Both Izumo and Kotetsu had wide-eyed expressions plastered on their faces as they looked at a spot over Iruka's left shoulder. He had to admit they were getting pretty good at this acting thing.

"But I didn't go to the opening ceremony." 

Iruka froze. After all the interviews he'd watched over the years, he'd know that voice anywhere. Even with Kakashi's tendency to give one-word answers.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Iruka whispered harshly.

His friends nodded. Iruka wanted to curse.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned around, not sure which would be worse, falling for his friends' trick again or having Kakashi hear him say everything he'd just said.

"Hi," Kakashi said.

Okay, this was worse. Iruka could feel his face burning.

"Hi," he said, vaguely aware of Kotetsu and Izumo cackling with laughter as they faded into the crowd, claiming they heard someone calling their names. They were blatantly lying, but that didn't stop them from abandoning Iruka to die in embarrassment. Worst friends ever.

Iruka stared at Kakashi.

Kakashi stared back.

"Hi," Iruka said again.

"Hi," Kakashi said back.

They continued to stare at each other for another long beat.

"Your last race was amazing," Iruka managed to get out in a rush at the same time Kakashi said, "Your last dive was so... flippy."

Kakashi seemed to be blushing too, though it was hard to tell with his tracksuit zipped all the way up, somehow managing to hide half his face. Iruka found it fascinating to watch the flush of pink trying to creep up high enough to be seen.

"Okay then," Kotetsu said as he and Izumo came up beside them. "As adorably awkward as this is, let's take it outside."

Iruka let himself be pushed with Kakashi. Kotetsu and Izumo somehow managed to run them into each other a few times along the way. Maybe his friends weren't the worst ever after all.

The rest of the night was a blur of color and celebration. Iruka eventually remembered words again and even managed to exchange them with Kakashi as they inched closer.

They let their fingers brush together a few times, casual enough they could pretend it was an accident until Iruka got up the nerve to slip his hand into Kakashi's.

He was pretty sure the ceremony ended with fireworks, but he forgot to look up. 

There'd be a video of it online he could watch later. For now, he had something better to look at, and from the way Kakashi wasn't taking his eyes off of him, he seemed to agree.

~*~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! ♥
> 
> I don't intend to write more of this verse, but here are two super fast headcanons for some of the other prompts.
> 
> Water / Summer Clothing – They go to the beach together for their first date after they are back in Konoha. Kakashi is pretty much fully covered because he burns easily, but Iruka is in basically nothing, just his speedo. Kakashi is dying. He should have suggested something else. Dinner. A movie. Anything that would require more clothing. He can't handle this on a first date. Especially not when Iruka suggests they help each other reapply sunblock.
> 
> Food – Noticing that Kakashi is dying, Iruka is like you look overheated, how about we grab some ice cream. Which would help except then he is all but deep throating a popsicle and Kakashi prays he will make it out of this date alive. XD


End file.
